The present invention relates to a cigarette perforator. More particularly the invention relates to a perforator for a single cigarette.
It is well known that the content of tar, of nicotine and of other harmful materials in cigarette smoke can be reduced by providing one or more perforations in the sheet enclosing the tobacco, below the part designed for being placed between the lips. In fact, it has been observed that the harmful materials contained in the smoke may be diluted through the introduction of a quantity of cold, fresh air sucked in through the perforations.
A perforator for a single cigarette is known, comprising a support-base, a projection extending on one side of the support-base and possessing at least one notch for housing the cigarette, adjacent to the support-base, and at least one pin, projecting in relation to the support-base, on the same side as the projection and facing the notch, for insertion into the paper of the cigarette when the latter is placed in the notch.
In this perforator of the above-mentioned type, the notch for the housing of the cigarette is formed by two longitudinal, parallel, curved projections, flexible to each other and brought together, so that the cigarette has to be vigorously inserted between the curved parts when it is placed in its housing, so that these parts enclose the cigarette when it is pressed on to the pin.
The result is that it is necessary to separate the edges of the projections from each other with one's two hands, in order to place the cigarette in its housing before perforation or to withdraw it from its housing after perforation. Thus it is not possible to allow the cigarette to rest freely in its housing and to perforate it in one single operation. Besides, there is a risk of breaking the cigarette during this vigorous insertion or during its removal after perforation.
In another known embodiment, the housing is made up of a tubular casing, while the pin is controlled by a mechanism fixed in the casing, which can be manually operated for causing it to penetrate into the cigarette.
In order to perforate the cigarette with a perforator of this kind, therefore, it is again necessary to proceed in two successive steps; i.e., the cigarette is placed in its housing and then perforated by manipulating a perforation mechanism. With this kind of perforator, the place of the perforation of the cigarette is not visible from the outside and its position is determined by a lug, the location of which has to be altered if it is desired to change the place of the perforation. This kind of perforator is not only difficult to operate, but is complicated and expensive to manufacture and its bulk is too large for being mounted on a lighter of the disposable type. The present invention has as its object a perforator that does not possess these shortcomings.